When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Surrey Police inspections

HM inspector of constabulary Zoe Billingham praised the force for its good understanding of demand, said it had allocated officers to priority areas to protect the public and had developed its understanding of the skills of its workforce to tackle future demand.

HMIC Billingham said: “As at April 2016, one in four of these calls were going unanswered which is simply not good enough.”

But she added: “Surrey Police has a good record of effective financial management and has sound financial plans for the future, including ambitious plans to improve its efficiency through collaboration with neighbouring forces.”

Nick Ephgrave, chief constable of Surrey Police

Other improvements made by Surrey Police since the last inspection include having a better understanding of hidden crime and emerging crime such as child sexual exploitation, cyber crime, hate crime and modern-day slavery.

Chief constable Nick Ephgrave said he was pleased with the HMIC report but said the force was committed to making further improvements.

Read More

Related Articles

He said: “While we have made significant progress since the last HMIC efficiency inspection we are certainly not complacent. We know that there is much more we still need to achieve.

"When the inspection took place in July we were open with HMIC about our challenges, including the need to increase the number of officers in key departments and non-emergency 101 call answering times, and our plans to tackle them.

“These are the key areas HMIC picked up in their report as areas for improvement and we continue to put significant effort into addressing them.”

Read More

Related Articles

Chief constable Ephgrave said the force had boosted officer recruitment with more frequent courses and a maximum number of 48 officers in each of the next three intakes.

He added: “Regarding call handling, while our 999 performance remains strong, with 93% of calls answered within target, we know our performance for answering non-emergency (101) calls is below where we want it to be and this is a priority for us.

“We are tackling this by maintaining staffing levels, we have introduced a new call handling system and enhanced our online reporting function.”

David Munro launching his first Police and Crime Plan.

Police and crime commissioner for Surrey David Munro said: “The HMIC report has highlighted some areas for improvement in terms of resourcing and understanding current and future demand, especially in respect of 101 calls.

“The force recognises the urgent need for improvement in our 101 response and I am encouraged that over the last two months we have seen some real improvements in performance in this area.

“I am committed to working with the chief constable to ensure we meet these areas for improvement and sustain the efficient way Surrey Police works in the future.”